The Seven Follies of Science [2nd ed.]: A popular account of the most famous scientific impossibilities and the attempts which have been made to solve them. To which is added a small budget of interesting paradoxes, illusions, and marvels

In Short

John Phin’s The Seven Follies of Science explores humanity's most famous, impossible scientific pursuits and the mistaken or fraudulent attempts to solve them. By examining classic chimeras—from circle-squaring to perpetual motion and the philosopher's stone—Phin demonstrates where physical law draws absolute boundaries. The work endures because it balances rigorous scientific debunking with rich historical anecdotes, celebrating genuine progress while exposing how stubborn ignorance and deliberate deception persist across centuries.

The Story

The book opens on the intellectual battlefields of classic geometry and physics, tackling those persistent problems known as "scientific impossibilities." Phin begins by examining the ancient, futile quest to square the circle—expressing the area of a circle as an exact square—alongside the duplication of the cube and the trisection of an angle. He details how mathematicians calculated the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter to hundreds of decimal places, proving that practical precision far outstrips any real-world need. Despite mathematical refutations, misguided amateurs and persistent cranks continuously publish false solutions, driven by self-conceit that resists all logical proof.

From geometry, Phin shifts to mechanics, focusing on the obsessive hunt for perpetual motion. He classifies the endless parade of mechanical contrivances designed to produce work without an energy source, including weight-and-wheel arrangements, capillary tubes, liquid pumps, and magnetic shields. Phin demonstrates that every such device either fails once initial momentum expires or relies on hidden fraud. He notes how inventors repeatedly reinvent identical failed schemes, completely ignoring past missteps while remaining inexplicably convinced of their own success.

The narrative then turns to alchemy and the chemical impossible, detailing the history of the philosopher's stone, the transmutation of base metals into gold, and the fixation of mercury. Phin reveals the illicit mechanics behind historical alchemy, outlining the specific sleight-of-hand tricks, hollow stirring rods, and fake crucibles used by quacks to swindle credulous patrons. He connects these historical hoaxes to legitimate chemical discoveries, noting that while true alchemy failed, it unintentionally cleared the path for modern scientific progress.

Finally, Phin gathers a "budget" of curious paradoxes, optical illusions, sensory deceptions, and mathematical marvels. He explains how our own senses—touch, sight, heat, and hearing—frequently deceive us under controlled conditions, such as the illusion of feeling two spheres when rolling a single pea between crossed fingers. He closes with striking arithmetical demonstrations, calculating the staggering compound interest of a single British pound invested since Shakespeare's era to show how numbers easily defy human intuition. Through every topic, Phin outlines a continuous progression from ignorance and deceit toward clear scientific understanding.

How It Unfolds

The geometrical traps Phin opens by detailing ancient mathematical challenges, demonstrating how calculating the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter to dozens of decimal places provides precision far beyond any physical requirement. He highlights how persistent cranks continuously ignore established proofs to publish erroneous ratios.

The perpetual illusion Moving into mechanics, Phin surveys various self-moving contrivances, including tide-driven clocks, voltaic dry piles, and magnetic shields. He illustrates how inventors repeatedly fall into identical traps, confusing minor mechanical complexity with true energy creation.

The alchemical cheats Phin explores the quest for the philosopher's stone and the universal solvent, detailing the specific fraudulent techniques used by alchemists to deceive wealthy patrons. He shows how simple tricks like hollow iron rods filled with gold filings sustained centuries of financial swindles.

The deceptive senses Turning to physical and sensory paradoxes, Phin demonstrates how human perception fails when tested by simple mechanical arrangements or sensory tricks. Experiments with crossed fingers, temperature perception, and micro-engraving reveal the sharp limits of human observation.

The compounding numbers The book closes with mathematical and economic puzzles that stretch human comprehension. Phin calculates the exponential growth of money over centuries, showing how simple arithmetic produces outcomes that vastly exceed human expectation and worldly wealth.

The People

John Phin The author and guiding perspective who seeks to delineate the exact boundaries of physical possibility. He aims to protect readers from fraudulent schemes while celebrating genuine historical progress, ending up as an insightful, pragmatic editor of scientific history.

Professor Augustus De Morgan A prominent mathematician whose writings and quotes frame the book's central arguments. He seeks to analyze intellectual fallacies and demonstrate why self-conceit resists logical argument, remaining a firm voice of mathematical authority against pseudo-scientific pretensions.

James Smith of Liverpool A persistent circle-squarer who attempts to convince the scientific establishment of his false mathematical ratio. Driven by unshakeable confidence in his own accuracy, he remains completely impervious to clear proofs and demonstrations offered by leading scholars.

Professor William Whewell A scholar who directly refutes James Smith's circle-squaring theories through neat, undeniable geometric demonstrations. He aims to defend sound mathematical principles, serving as a clear counterweight to speculative vanity.

Hermes Trismegistus The legendary father of alchemy whose apocryphal writings inspire centuries of attempts to fix volatile mercury. His obscure instructions symbolize the enticing, veiled jargon that led generations of alchemists into fruitless chemical pursuits.

In Its Own Voice

"Thought can influence thought, but thought cannot influence self-conceit; learning can annihilate learning; but learning cannot annihilate ignorance."

— Augustus De Morgan explains why mathematical fallacies like circle-squaring persist despite clear proofs.

"A sword may cut through an iron bar, and the severed ends will not reunite; let it go through the air, and the yielding substance is whole again in a moment."

— A vivid metaphor illustrating how foolish assertions yield to opposition only to instantly reform unchanged.

"Would to God that all men might become adepts in our art, for then gold, the common idol of mankind, would lose its value and we should prize it only for its scientific teaching."

— An alchemical practitioner reflects on the idealistic vision of universal transmutation over mere personal greed.

What It's Really About

Beneath its catalog of mechanical curiosities and historical errors, the book explores the persistent conflict between disciplined human reason and unchecked self-deception. Phin uses scientific impossibilities to map the boundary separating authentic discovery from wishful thinking. The text argues that progress requires acknowledging nature's unyielding laws rather than expecting reality to bend to human conceit. By contrasting deliberate fraud and innocent ignorance with rigorous mathematical proof, the work examines how easily the mind deceives itself when passion outpaces critical judgment. Ultimately, it celebrates the quiet triumph of scientific method over centuries of popular delusion.

Why Read It Today

The Seven Follies of Science offers an entertaining, sharply observed look into historical credulity and the eternal nature of human error. Readers who enjoy pop-science history, mechanical curiosities, and Victorian intellectual debunker books will find Phin's writing both accessible and deeply engaging. Reading it feels like sitting down with an articulate, straightforward instructor who takes genuine pleasure in unmasking quackery while celebrating legitimate physical laws.

While the text features late Victorian language and occasional dense mathematical references, Phin's prose remains remarkably crisp and transparent throughout. The reader is left with a lasting appreciation for how easily enthusiasm masks logical flaws, making its lessons on critical thinking as relevant today as they were a century ago.